Xxx
Known for their edgy, out-of-the-box lyrics and music, Coldplay has been a revolutionary in the music industry. In their newest installment titled Mylo Xyoto, the band challenges identity and originality. When asked about the meaning of the title, lead singer Chris Martin remarks, “We wanted it to mean nothing else than what your imagination wanted it to…one of those words that people ask, ‘what the f*!? does that mean?’” Mylo Xyloto (MX) text not only serves as the title for the album but sets the stage for the abstract nature of the album which hopes to spark the audience’s imagination. MX is a prime example of simulation and subjectivity, spans multiple online communities and issues of interpretation, and also serves a form interactive fiction. Through these themes they ignite the imagination of their audience and provoke conversation. It is a mutualistic relationship - through their music that they are able to simultaneously impact and interact with their audience, while their audience also aids in shaping their music. The Internet/”Wired World”, provides the medium for which this interaction can take place between author (musician) and reader (listener). The web is utilized by Coldplay to not only promote audience interaction but for defining the album. Martin remarked when asked about the naming of the album, “In this age of Google, if you had a song titled ‘Bananas’, and you typed it into Google, you would get these other results about bananas, so we thought why not title the album something that only means the album so that it has its own space on the Internet. Developing something that is new, original but also relatable and inspiring is fundamental to Coldplay’s music and penetrates MX. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley portrays the creation of Victor Frankenstein to be a blank slate and sets it, the creation, apart from the rest of the world. In the same way, Coldplay has created their own kind of monster. MX is set apart from their other music, receiving both critique and praise for their venture. Martin expressed in an interview that: “We sometimes forget that we have any history and are a bit naïve cause we think when we come back with a new piece of work that it will be judged as its own thing, but of course it isn’t. People compare it to your old work, or they already have an opinion about your band that is good or bad, so I think the whole idea with this one this project, Mylo Xyloto, has been to forget about any of those negative outside forces and that's why got drawn toward graffiti type painting and anything to do with freedom of expression and that's why a lot of the lyrics are about sticking together as a gang and sticking together with the people you love, in amongst a dangerous and scary world, cause that's really how it feels to be in our band.” Just as Shelley compares creation and creator in her novel, so also is MX critiqued with Coldplay. They deal with preconceived ideas just like those imposed on the monster. The monster was dejected by the only person and world he knows not because of something he had done but by who he is. Just as he was not given a chance, many approach their work in the same way with preconceived notions about the band and the quality of music they are capable of producing - for better or worse. This is why it is imperative for Coldplay to make an impact with their audience and to use their creation as a reflection of themselves. In the following project, MX will be analyzed to see how the use of the Internet has not only impacted their music but to see how people utilize it to find their own voice/identity, whether it be through vocalizing opinion and critique or creating their own form of remediation in response to the album.